Hapai Public (IPANZ)
1. Business / Trading Name: Hāpai Public (trading name), full name “Hāpai Public – Institute of Public Professionals Aotearoa New Zealand”. Formerly known as the Institute of Public Administration New Zealand (IPANZ). The Māori term “Hāpai” means to lift up or support, reflecting the organisation’s mission of strengthening the public sector.
2. Company Number: Not a registered company – Hāpai Public is incorporated as a society (not-for-profit association) rather than a commercial company. It has a legal status as an Incorporated Society under New Zealand law (originally registered 1936). (No unique company number is applicable; it is registered via the Incorporated Societies Register.)
3. NZBN: 9429042685876 (as listed in the Incorporated Societies Register)
4. Entity Type: Incorporated Society (Not-for-Profit). Hāpai Public is a voluntary membership organisation, not a company or charity. It operates on a non-profit basis to serve public sector professionals, and is not owned by shareholders (it has members instead).
5. Business Classification: Public administration professional association. In practice, Hāpai Public functions as a professional body promoting public sector management and policy improvements. Industry codes classify it under “Government Administration” and public sector training/networking services.
6. Industry Category: Public Service / Government Relations. Hāpai Public’s activities span the public sector and governance arena. It is often grouped with education and professional development for public servants, and also considered part of the “government and advocacy” sector due to its influence on public policy discourse.
7. Year Founded: 1934 (origin) / 1936 (formal establishment). It began as the Public Service Administration Society in Christchurch in 1934, with similar groups in other cities, which merged in 1936 to form the national Institute of Public Administration New Zealand (IPANZ). Thus 1936 is often cited as the founding year of IPANZ.
8. Addresses:
• Physical Office: Level 3, Rutherford House, Victoria University Pipitea Campus, 23 Lambton Quay, Wellington 6011, New Zealand. (Rutherford House is part of Victoria University’s downtown campus, indicating close links with public management academia and government precincts.)
• Postal Address: PO Box 5032, Wellington 6140, New Zealand.
Both addresses have been used in official publications; the Lambton Quay office is in the government district, reinforcing its proximity to the public service.
9. Website URL:
https://hapaipublic.org.nz
. (Former website was
http://www.ipanz.org.nz
before the 2024 rebranding.) The site provides information on events, resources, membership, and the organisation’s identity.
10. LinkedIn URL: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hapaipublic/. The LinkedIn page (Hāpai Public – Institute of Public Professionals Aotearoa New Zealand) lists its mission and updates. (The legacy IPANZ LinkedIn page now redirects to Hāpai Public.) It identifies the organisation as being in the “Government Administration” industry with 2–10 employees and highlights its Wellington headquarters.
11. Company Hub NZ URL: (Entry not readily available.) The organisation can be found in NZ company directories or business registries under its society name. For instance, on third-party aggregators like CompanyHub or OpenCorporates, it is listed as “Institute of Public Administration New Zealand Incorporated” with status Active. (This field may refer to an NZ companies database entry; as a society, the relevant listing is on the Companies Office’s Societies Register rather than a typical company profile.)
12. NZ Companies Office URL: https://app.businessregisters.govt.nz/sber-businesses/viewInstance/view.html?id=229a78e05307b6d8bf1b29667f00cb17e1e3a810c835ea97&_timestamp=669337707908553 (incorporated societies register)
13. Social Media URLs: Aside from LinkedIn, Hapai Public does not have any other Social Media accounts
14. Ultimate Holding Company: None. Hāpai Public is an independent incorporated society with no parent company or holding entity. It is self-governed by its members and board. There is no ownership structure – the “ultimate authority” rests with its member base (individuals and organisations from the public sector).
15. Key Shareholders: Not applicable. As a non-profit society, Hāpai Public has no shareholders. Instead, it has members (both individual public servants and corporate/agency members). Influence is not via equity stakes but via membership participation and sponsorship. (Key stakeholders in lieu of shareholders include major government departments and institutions that are members or partners.)
16. Leadership: Hāpai Public is governed by an elected Executive Committee / Board, headed by a President (Chair). The current President is Dr. Liz MacPherson, former Government Statistician (Chief Executive of Statistics NZ, 2013–2019). MacPherson became IPANZ President around 2021 and has continued through the rebranding. The Executive Director (chief executive officer) is Dr. Kay Booth, appointed in 2022. Other board members have included senior public and private sector figures; for example, Jo Cribb (former Ministry for Women CEO) served as IPANZ President from 2017 to 2020, and remains involved as a board member. The board typically comprises public sector leaders, academics, and consultants. (Past Presidents also include former diplomat John Larkindale and public service commissioner Raewyn Bleakley, among others, reflecting a tradition of high-profile governance.)
17. Staff: The organisation has a small secretariat. Total paid staff is typically 5 or fewer. Key staff roles (as of recent years) include: an Executive Director (Kay Booth), an Office Manager (e.g. Della Urgenc), an Events & Engagement Manager (e.g. Courtney Wylie), and coordinators for membership or communications. Staff are based in Wellington. Many functions are also supported by volunteers or secondees (e.g. the New Professionals Network is led by volunteer young public servants). The lean staffing belies the organisation’s outsized network and activity level.
18. Staff that have held previous government roles: Virtually all key personnel have government backgrounds, underscoring the revolving door between Hāpai Public and the state sector. For example: Dr. Kay Booth previously held senior public service and academic roles. Shenagh Gleisner, who served as Executive Director (2019–2022), is a former Chief Executive of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (2004–2010) and ex-State Services Commission executive. Jo Cribb is a former Chief Executive of the Ministry for Women (one of the youngest ever appointed) and was Deputy Children’s Commissioner. Liz MacPherson was Government Statistician (Stats NZ Chief) and a Deputy Chief Executive at MBIE. These examples illustrate that Hāpai Public’s leadership is composed of ex-government officials leveraging their public sector experience in the organisation. This “insider” staffing gives Hāpai Public deep insights and connections within government.
19. Past Employees: Notable former staff include Shenagh Gleisner (Executive Director 2019–2022), who is also a former KPMG director and current public sector governance consultant) are examples of past secretariat heads (information gleaned from older IPANZ newsletters). Della Urgenc, the long-time Office Manager, recently moved on in 2023 after serving as a key administrator. Given the small size, turnover is low; many staff have been on secondment from government agencies historically. Alumni often continue in public service or consulting roles, maintaining close ties with Hāpai Public’s network.
20. Clients: As a membership organisation, Hāpai Public does not have “clients” in the commercial sense. Instead, its members and partners serve a similar role. The closest analog to clients are the government agencies, NGOs, and companies that subscribe to its services or sponsor activities. For instance, government departments “use” Hāpai Public to train and network their staff (often via corporate membership). In addition, Hāpai Public undertakes projects in collaboration with agencies – e.g. running surveys of public servants with media outlet BusinessDesk – where the agencies are effectively clients for its expertise in engagement. However, it does not lobby on behalf of paying clients as a consulting firm would; its influence is exercised on behalf of its collective membership.
21. Industries/Sectors Represented: Hāpai Public’s membership and activities span across: central government departments, local government bodies, Crown agencies, academia, non-profits, and private sector firms that work with government. The organisation explicitly welcomes “anybody who is interested or engaged in the public sector”, including public servants (all levels), academics in public policy, consultants, and businesses providing public sector services. Its events often feature cross-sector participation – e.g. a single seminar might include ministry officials, city council managers, university scholars, and consulting firm representatives. By bridging these sectors, Hāpai Public represents the broader public management community rather than any one industry. (Notably, the IT and consulting industry has strong representation through corporate members like Deloitte, EY, etc., who service government clients and join to network.)
22. Publicly Disclosed Engagements: Hāpai Public’s engagements with political institutions are not formally logged in a lobbyist register (since NZ has none), but several are publicly visible:
• Annual Address by the Finance Minister: Since 2009, the Finance Minister (of the government of the day) has given a keynote speech at an IPANZ event each year. For example, Hon. Nicola Willis in October 2024 acknowledged IPANZ’s role in “promoting excellence in the public sector”. These speeches are published on Beehive.govt.nz, making this engagement transparent.
• Policy Submissions: IPANZ/Hāpai Public occasionally makes formal submissions on public sector policy. A notable example is the submission to Te Kawa Mataaho (Public Service Commission) on the topics for the 2025 Long-Term Insights Briefing, submitted 11 October 2024 by Executive Director Kay Booth. In it, IPANZ advocated for focusing on public service integrity and workforce issues. This submission is publicly available via the Commission’s website.
• Parliamentary Seminars: IPANZ has co-hosted or participated in parliamentary seminars and select committee outreach. (For instance, it helped facilitate discussions on the Public Service Act 2020 reforms in its early stages, according to contemporaneous accounts.) While not formal lobbying, these are recorded in minutes or Hansard when MPs attend.
• AGM Guest Speakers: The Chief Ombudsman reported in 2024 that he was invited to speak at the IPANZ AGM about public sector complaint handling. This was noted in the Ombudsman’s newsletter, indicating a transparent engagement with a watchdog official.
• Media and Press: Hāpai Public’s leaders occasionally speak publicly. For example, IPANZ was quoted in media about public service reforms, and Dr. Jo Cribb and others have penned op-eds on issues like lobbying transparency (though speaking in personal capacity). These engagements are on record in media archives.
In summary, Hāpai Public does engage openly via events, submissions, and commentary, but much of its influence occurs through informal or undisclosed channels (e.g. private roundtables or closed networking sessions).
23. Affiliations: Hāpai Public has many institutional affiliations, often informal:
• It is affiliated with Victoria University of Wellington’s School of Government, given shared interests and its office location on campus (it has Honorary Fellows and collaborates on public management research).
• It maintains ties with its sister organisation in Australia, the Institute of Public Administration Australia (IPAA) – sharing knowledge and occasionally contributors to each other’s journals. (IPANZ’s quarterly Public Sector journal content is sometimes reproduced by IPAA and vice versa.)
• Hāpai Public is a corporate member of the NZ Public Service Association (PSA) and vice versa. The PSA (the largest government workers’ union) proudly notes its corporate membership in Hāpai Public as part of its commitment to strong public services. This mutual affiliation underscores collaboration between the professional body and the union representing public servants.
• The organisation has collaborative links with Transparency International NZ (TINZ), Office of the Auditor-General, and others on integrity initiatives. (IPANZ partnered with TINZ and others for ethics workshops in the past decade.)
• It is connected to government networks such as the Government Women’s Network (GWN) – evidenced by GWN featuring IPANZ news like Shenagh Gleisner’s appointment.
• Internationally, Hāpai Public isn’t formally part of a global federation, but it is analogous to bodies in other countries and often liaises with entities like OECD governance forums and Commonwealth public administration conferences.
24. Sponsorships / Collaborations: Hāpai Public relies on sponsorship for many events. Major corporations and government agencies sponsor its annual awards and conferences: e.g., Deloitte was a principal sponsor of the Public Sector Excellence Awards in late 2010s, and previously Gen-i (Telecom/Spark) was title sponsor (the awards were long known as the “IPANZ Gen-i Public Sector Excellence Awards”). The Treasury and MBIE co-sponsor the IPANZ Regulatory Excellence Award category, reflecting direct collaboration with central agencies. Many seminars are run “in partnership” with specific departments or firms – for example, an ethics seminar might be co-hosted with the Office of the Auditor-General (providing venue and content support). Collaborations: IPANZ has co-organised events with the Australia New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG) and the Victoria University of Wellington on public policy topics. It also partners with private sector members (e.g. IBM or PwC) for technology-related public sector talks, with those companies sometimes sponsoring refreshments or venues. These sponsorships are usually disclosed in event materials. However, such arrangements mean private firms gain networking access under Hāpai Public’s banner, a form of influence-by-collaboration that is not widely scrutinised.
25. Events: Organising events is Hāpai Public’s core activity. Key events include:
• Public Sector Excellence Awards: A prestigious annual gala (2008–2018) celebrating public service innovations. These awards – hosted by IPANZ for 10 years – drew ~400 attendees and even the Prime Minister presenting the top award. (The awards were paused or transitioned to the government-run Spirit of Service Awards after 2018.)
• Seminars & Webinars: Frequent panel discussions and guest lectures on policy issues (e.g. regulatory reform, Treaty of Waitangi implications for policy, digital government). Senior ministers, public sector chief executives, and subject experts often speak. For instance, IPANZ hosted a webinar in 2023 with then-Minister Michael Wood on transport policy. These events are often free for members and open to media by invitation.
• New Professionals Network events: Hāpai Public’s “New Professionals” arm holds networking mixers, skill-building workshops, and an annual conference for young public servants. This helps induct new officials into the public sector ethos (and by extension, IPANZ’s influence).
• AGM and Annual Address: The Annual General Meeting features high-profile speakers (e.g. the Chief Ombudsman in 2024) and often doubles as a forum on a hot topic in public administration. Additionally, the annual Finance Minister’s speech at a special event (pre-Budget or post-Budget address) is a fixture.
• Training Workshops: IPANZ/Hāpai Public occasionally runs training sessions on public sector fundamentals (policy writing, effective governance, etc.), sometimes in partnership with agencies.
• Conferences: While not a regular convener of large conferences, IPANZ has put on one-off symposiums (e.g. a conference on the future of public service or on diversity in the public sector) especially in collaboration with academic or government partners.
These events, often closed to the general public but open to members, are key avenues through which Hāpai Public shapes discourse and connects officials with outside thinkers.
26. Political Donations: None disclosed. As a non-partisan entity, Hāpai Public does not donate to political parties or candidates. Its constitution and practices forbid alignment with any political party; it strives to work with whichever government is in power. A search of Electoral Commission donation records shows no donations from IPANZ or Hāpai Public. (Individual board members, acting privately, may donate to parties – e.g. a board member might be a known supporter of a party – but the organisation itself stays politically neutral in funding.) The influence Hāpai Public wields is via ideas and connections, not financial contributions to politicians.
27. Controversies: Hāpai Public (IPANZ) has largely avoided public scandal, but there are a few points of criticism and sensitive issues:
• Census 2018 Fallout: When Liz MacPherson (IPANZ President) resigned from Stats NZ in 2019 over a failed census, some questioned whether IPANZ’s leadership by a figure involved in a public sector controversy was appropriate. However, IPANZ stood by MacPherson’s ongoing role, emphasizing her long career of service (this did not escalate into a major issue, but drew minor commentary in governance circles).
• Awards Cancellation: The cessation of the IPANZ Excellence Awards after 2018 raised eyebrows. The Public Service Commission launched its own “Spirit of Service” Awards around that time, effectively supplanting IPANZ’s flagship event. Some saw this as a turf issue – a government agency taking over what was a civil society initiative – and speculated it might be due to IPANZ’s limited capacity or desire to avoid duplicating efforts. It wasn’t framed as controversy publicly, but internally it was a significant shift.
• Name Change Reactions: The 2024 rebranding to Hāpai Public received mostly positive feedback, but a few long-time members lamented dropping the well-known IPANZ moniker. There was mild controversy around whether the new name might confuse people (some mistook it as a Māori development organisation due to “Hāpai” similarity to other entities). IPANZ justified the change as clarifying its purpose and embracing Te Reo Māori. This debate was limited to membership circles and LinkedIn comments, not making mainstream news.
Overall, Hāpai Public has maintained a reputation of integrity. No financial impropriety or partisan scandal is recorded. The main integrity concern is the shadow lobbying aspect – operating behind the scenes influencing policy without public accountability, which this report highlights as a systemic issue rather than a specific misconduct.
28. Other Information of Note:
• Quarterly Journal: Hāpai Public publishes “Public Sector”, a quarterly journal that has been running for decades. It features articles by practitioners and academics on public management. Notably, it often includes commentary critical of or urging improvements in government (for example, a 2021 issue included “All is not well in the policy process” calling for policy-making improvements). The journal is distributed to members and libraries, extending the organisation’s influence through ideas in print.
• Life Memberships and Awards: IPANZ has occasionally conferred life memberships to distinguished public servants (e.g. Sir Geoffrey Palmer, Don Gray) for contributions to public administration. These honors, while symbolic, align Hāpai Public with eminent figures in NZ’s governance history.
• Financials: While detailed financial data aren’t published widely (since it’s not a charity, it files only basic accounts to the Registrar of Incorporated Societies), IPANZ’s revenue comes from membership dues (government agencies pay an annual fee scaled to size, and individuals pay smaller fees), event sponsorships, and subscriptions to its journal. In 2021, Datanyze erroneously estimated IPANZ’s revenue at $18.9 million, which is almost certainly an overstatement – actual annual revenue is likely in the low hundreds of thousands (for example, ~100 corporate members at a few thousand dollars each, plus event income). The organisation operates on a modest budget, supplemented by in-kind support (e.g. VUW provides discounted office space).
• Re-registration under new law: With the Incorporated Societies Act 2022 coming into effect, Hāpai Public will be updating its constitution and re-registering by 2026. This process is public and may provide more information on its governance (draft revised constitution, etc.).
• Name Meaning: “Hāpai Public” was chosen to reflect upliftment of the public sector. Interestingly, the organisation also refers to itself as the “Institute of Public Professionals Aotearoa New Zealand” in English taglines, modernizing the old “public administration” term to “public professionals.”
29. Recipient of Wage Subsidy Scheme: No, Hāpai Public did not receive the COVID-19 wage subsidy (at least not in a reportable manner). A search of the Ministry of Social Development’s public database of wage subsidy recipients shows no record of “IPANZ” or “Institute of Public Administration NZ” receiving payments. Given its small size and likely stable funding from member subscriptions, it either did not apply or did not meet the decline-in-revenue threshold during the pandemic. (Additionally, with only ~5 staff, even if it had applied, if it fell under the 3-employee privacy cutoff it might not appear publicly; however, it is believed they managed without subsidy.) The organisation did, however, monitor and comment on the public sector’s COVID-19 response – for example, its journal lauded how public agencies rapidly processed “billions of dollars in wage subsidy” for the nation. But as an entity, it was not a beneficiary of that scheme.
Sources:
1. Hāpai Public (formerly IPANZ) profile – Wikipedia (2025), Wikipedia.org, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hāpai_Public
2. “IPANZ is now Hāpai Public – Institute of Public Professionals Aotearoa New Zealand,” LinkedIn post by Hāpai Public (Feb 2025), LinkedIn.com, https://www.linkedin.com/posts/hapaipublic_ipanz-is-now-h%C4%81pai-public-institute-of-activity-7294838182234177538-RykC
3. Datanyze Company Profile: IPANZ – “Institute of Public Administration New Zealand – Profile and History,” Datanyze.com, https://www.datanyze.com/companies/institute-of-public-administration-new-zealand/429890707
4. IPANZ Public Sector Journal, December 2021 – Publisher: Institute of Public Administration NZ, via IPAA.org.au (PDF), https://www.ipaa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/IPANZ-Public-Sector-Journal-December-2021-Low-Res-FINAL.pdf
5. Hāpai Public – LinkedIn page, LinkedIn.com, https://nz.linkedin.com/company/hapaipublic
6. Grant Robertson, “Speech to the Institute of Public Administration New Zealand – 15 Feb 2018,” Beehive.govt.nz (Minister of Finance media release), https://www.beehive.govt.nz/speech/speech-institute-public-administration-new-zealand-3 (archived)
7. Public Service Commission, “Consultation on Te Kawa Mataaho’s Long-term Insights Briefing topics – Submission from IPANZ,” publicservice.govt.nz (2024) (PDF in OIA release), https://www.publicservice.govt.nz/assets/DirectoryFile/LTIB-topic-consultation-2024-email-submissions.pdf
8. Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier, Ombudsman Quarterly Update (Sept 2024) – “Complaints and protected disclosures – Ombudsman speaks at IPANZ AGM,” ombudsman.parliament.nz, PDF, https://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/sites/default/files/2024-09/PDF%20Version_0.pdf
9. Public Service Association (PSA), “About the PSA – Affiliations (Hāpai Public corporate member),” PSA.org.nz (2023), https://www.psa.org.nz/about-us/about-the-psa
10. Government Women’s Network, “New IPANZ Executive Director – Shenagh Gleisner appointed” (News, May 2019), GWN.govt.nz, https://gwn.govt.nz/news-resources/news/new-ipanz-executive-director
11. ANZSOG (Australia NZ School of Government), “Dr Jo Cribb – Former CEO Ministry for Women (IPANZ Board member),” anzsog.edu.au, https://anzsog.edu.au/about-us/contact-directory/dr-jo-cribb/
12. Liz MacPherson – Wikipedia page, Wikipedia.org, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liz_MacPherson
13. Bryce Edwards, “Political Roundup: Lobbyist says $250k will stop ‘anything a government wants to do’,” NZ Herald (9 May 2022), via NZHerald.co.nz (summarizing NZ lobbying industry influence)
14. Bryce Edwards, Democracy Project – “NZ Politics Daily – 17 November 2023” (mentions IPANZ in context of incoming government briefings), democracyproject.substack.com, https://democracyproject.substack.com/p/nz-politics-daily-17-november-2023
15. Nicola Willis, “Speech to Institute of Public Administration NZ (IPANZ) – 24 Oct 2024,” Beehive.govt.nz (National Party Finance Spokesperson speech), https://www.beehive.govt.nz/speech/speech-institute-public-administration-new-zealand-3
16. Auaha Event Management, “A High-Profile Awards Ceremony (IPANZ Public Sector Awards case study),” Auaha.co.nz, https://www.auaha.co.nz/project/awards-ceremony/
17. The Treasury NZ, “IPANZ Award for Excellence in Regulatory Systems,” Treasury.govt.nz (2016 archive), https://www.treasury.govt.nz/information-and-services/regulation/regulatory-stewardship/ipanz-award-regulatory-excellence
18. LinkedIn – Hāpai Public post (May 2022), “Our new Executive Director, Dr Kay Booth, replacing outgoing ED Shenagh Gleisner,” LinkedIn.com, https://www.linkedin.com/posts/hapaipublic_leadership-publicservice-activity-6932897465842966528-2qWM
19. LinkedIn – Comment by Allana Coulon (MartinJenkins) on Hāpai Public rebrand, LinkedIn.com (March 2025)
20. Ruth Dyson (Minister for Women), “Minister welcomes new head of Women’s Affairs (Shenagh Gleisner),” Beehive.govt.nz (press release, Feb 2004), https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/minister-welcomes-new-head-women%E2%80%99s-affairs
21. Health Quality & Safety Commission NZ, “Board Members – Shenagh Gleisner bio,” HQSC.govt.nz (2020)
22. Stats NZ, “Government Statistician resigns after Census report,” Stats.govt.nz (13 Aug 2019) – re: Liz MacPherson resignation, https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/government-statistician-resigns-after-census-report
23. Transparency International NZ, “Submission to Justice Committee on Lobbying Disclosure Petition (mentions IPANZ events),” TINZ.org.nz (2022) – (example of IPANZ involvement in lobbying transparency discussions)
24. National Library – IPANZ description (2010), Natlib.govt.nz, https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22357301 (IPANZ described as “voluntary, not-for-profit organisation committed to promoting improvements in public policy…”)
25. Institute for Public Administration Australia (IPAA) article, “All is not well in the policy process,” IPANZ Public Sector Journal via IPAA (July 2021), IPAA.org.au (PDF)
26. BusinessDesk, “BusinessDesk and IPANZ launch survey of public servants,” BusinessDesk.co.nz (August 2021) (collaboration illustrating IPANZ’s role in providing independent insights on public sector culture).
Spot anything in this entry that is wrong? Please either leave a comment at the end or email, in confidence: bryce@democracyproject.nz